Hyderabad: At least eight workers are feared trapped after a section of the roof collapsed inside a 14-km-long tunnel of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district on Saturday. The accident occurred due to the slippage of a concrete segment used to seal seepage in the tunnel, which runs from Srisailam towards Devarakonda.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has ordered immediate rescue efforts, directing the District Collector, Superintendent of Police, Fire Department, and the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) to take up relief operations on a war footing. The state's Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, Irrigation Advisor Aditya Nath Das, IG Sathyanarayana, and DG Fire Services GV Narayan Rao are overseeing the rescue efforts at the accident site.

Officials have yet to confirm the exact number of workers present inside the tunnel at the time of the collapse. However, according to a police source quoted by PTI, six to eight workers are believed to be trapped 12 to 13 km inside the tunnel when the roof gave way. Some workers sustained injuries, but details remain unclear.

Rescue teams have been deployed, with heavy machinery and emergency response units mobilised to clear debris and reach the trapped workers as quickly as possible. Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed deep concern over the incident, calling it "unfortunate" and emphasising that "rescue efforts are in full swing to ensure the safe evacuation of those inside."

The Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project is a critical irrigation infrastructure aimed at providing water to Telangana’s drought-prone regions. The collapse raises concerns over safety standards in large-scale construction projects, with authorities expected to conduct an investigation into the cause of the incident once rescue operations conclude.

As efforts continue, authorities remain hopeful for a swift and successful rescue operation to bring the trapped workers to safety.